1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving assist system for a vehicle that assists operations performed by the driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems employed to assist driver operations in the related art include the system disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. H 10-211886. This system detects obstacles present around the vehicle and determines any latent risk potential that may exist. Then, the system inhibits a steering operation that would lead to an undesirable situation by controlling the steering assist torque based upon the calculated risk potential.
Depending upon the obstacle conditions around the vehicle, the driver may need to perform an accelerating/decelerating operation in order to avert undesirable consequences in addition to a steering operation. However, it may sometimes be difficult to prompt the driver to drive the vehicle along the desirable direction with the system described above under certain conditions in which an obstacle is present around the vehicle.
The present invention is to provide a driving assist system for a vehicle capable of clearly communicating risk potentials present in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction relative to the vehicle to the driver.
A driving assist system for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a driving environment detection device that detects a driving environment of the vehicle; a risk potential calculation device that calculates a risk potential present along a longitudinal direction (a RPlongitudinal) and a risk potential present along a lateral direction (a RPlateral) relative to the vehicle based upon the driving environment detected by the driving environment detection device; a longitudinal information conveyance device that presents the RPlongitudinal calculated by the risk potential calculation device to a driver; a lateral information conveyance device that presents the RPlateral calculated by the risk potential calculation device to the driver; and a timing control device that adjust an output timing of the longitudinal information conveyance device and an output timing of the lateral information conveyance device so as to prompt a driver to perform a longitudinal driving operation or a lateral driving operation to stabilize behavior of the vehicle when operation and non-operation of the longitudinal information conveyance device and the lateral information conveyance device are switched.
A driving assist system for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a driving environment detection means for detecting a driving environment of the vehicle; a risk potential calculation means for calculating a risk potential present along a longitudinal direction (a RPlongitudinal) and a risk potential present along a lateral direction (a RPlateral) relative to the vehicle based upon the driving environment detected by the driving environment detection means; a longitudinal information conveyance means for presenting the RPlongitudinal calculated by the risk potential calculation means to a driver; a lateral information conveyance means for presenting the RPlateral calculated by the risk potential calculation means to the driver; and a timing control means that adjust an output timing of the longitudinal information conveyance means and an output timing of the lateral information conveyance means so as to prompt a driver to perform a longitudinal driving operation or a lateral driving operation to stabilize behavior of the vehicle when operation and non-operation of the longitudinal information conveyance means and the lateral information conveyance means are switched.
A vehicle driving assist method according to the present invention: detects a driving environment of a vehicle; calculats a risk potential present along a longitudinal direction (a RPlongitudinal) and a risk potential present along a lateral direction (a RPlateral) relative to the vehicle based upon the driving environment; presents the calculated RPlongitudinal to a driver; presents the calculated RPlateral to the driver; and adjusts output timing to present the RPlongitudinal and output timing to present the RPlateral so as to prompt a driver to perform a longitudinal driving operation or a lateral driving operation to stabilize behavior of the vehicle.
A vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a driving environment detection device that detects a driving environment of the vehicle; a risk potential calculation device that calculates a risk potential present along a longitudinal direction (a RPlongitudinal) and a risk potential present along a lateral direction (a RPlateral) relative to the vehicle based upon the driving environment detected by the driving environment detection device; a longitudinal information conveyance device that presents the RPlongitudinal calculated by the risk potential calculation device to a driver; a lateral information conveyance device that presents the RPlateral calculated by the risk potential calculation device to the driver; and a timing control device that adjust an output timing of the longitudinal information conveyance device and an output timing of the lateral information conveyance device so as to prompt a driver to perform a longitudinal driving operation or a lateral driving operation to stabilize behavior of the vehicle when operation and non-operation of the longitudinal information conveyance device and the lateral information conveyance device are switched.